The Allman Brothers

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The Allman Brothers Band story is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption, dissolution, and a new redemption. Over nearly 30 years, the Allman Brothers have gone from being America's single most influential band to a has-been group trading on past glories, to finally reach the 1990s as one of the most respected rock acts of their era. For the first half of the 1970s, the Allman Brothers Band was the most influential rock group in America, redefining rock music and its boundaries.

The Allman Brothers Band's mix of blues, country, jazz, and even classical influences, and their powerful, extended onstage jamming altered the standards of concert performance - other groups were known for their onstage jamming, but when the Allman Brothers stretched a song out for 30 or 40 minutes, at their best they were exciting, never self-indulgent. The Allman Brothers gave it all a distinctly Southern voice and, in the process, opened the way for a wave of 70s rock acts from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Blackfoot, whose music, at least initially, celebrated their roots. And for a time, almost single-handedly, the Allman Brothers Band also made Capricorn Records into a major independent label.

The Allman Brothers Band reunited in 1989 and returned to popular consciousness of the American public, spurred by the release of archival material by PolyGram and the start of regular appearances on the American summer outdoor amphitheatre circuit. Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Johnny Neel (keyboards and harmonica) and Allen Woody (bass guitar) joined, while Leavell and Williams remained apart; the former on tour with the Rolling Stones, and Lamar Williams dead from cancer in 1983. After signing to Epic Records, the band released Seven Turns (1990), which got excellent reviews. This was followed by Neel's departure and a series of moderately-selling, but critically well-received albums including Shades Of Two Worlds (1991) and Where It All Begins (1994, certified Gold 1998), both featuring new percussionist Marc Quinones. Warren Haynes and Allen Woody formed their own side project Gov't Mule in 1994. In 1995, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1996 they won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Jessica". When Haynes and Woody decided to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997, Haynes was replaced on guitar by Jack Pearson, while Woody was replaced on bass by Oteil Burbridge. Derek Trucks, nephew of original Brother Butch Trucks, replaced Pearson in 1999.

In 2000, the Allman Brothers Band forced Dickey Betts to sit out the summer tour due to personal and professional reasons. For this tour, he was replaced by Jimmy Herring. Betts then filed a lawsuit against the other three original members and the summer separation turned into a permanent divorce. The band did release the live CD Peakin' At The Beacon which chronicled the now-annual March tradition of a many-night stand at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Also that same year, former bassist Allen Woody was found dead on August 26th.

The Allman Brothers Band asked Warren Haynes to rejoin the band and after a successful Beacon Run, decided to work in both the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule at the same time (he was later to tour with Phil Lesh and Friends as well as The Dead in the summer of 2004). The Haynes- produced Hittin' the Note was released in 2003 to popular and critical acclaim, as was the Live At the Beacon Theatre DVD film (2003, certified Gold 2003). The live CD One Way Out 2004 also chronicled the Beacon concerts.

The Allman Brothers Band garnered back to back Grammy Award nominations in 2003 and 2004 in the category of Best Rock Instrumental for performances of "Instrumental Illness" from Hittin' The Note and One Way Out. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Dickey Betts, and Derek Trucks to their list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time [2], with Allman coming in at #2 and Trucks being the youngest guitarist on their list.

The Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks lineup continued the band's connection with younger music fans via concert pairings with popular jam bands moe. and String Cheese Incident, among others. The Allman Brothers were a major attaction at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2003 and 2005. In 2005 and 2006, the Allmans staged their own two day Wanee Music Festival at the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida which included their own family of bands Gov't Mule and Derek Trucks Band, along with younger roots artists the North Mississippi Allstars, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Medeski, Martin and Wood and others.

For many years, the Allman Brothers' song "Jessica" was closely tied to the BBC television series Top Gear, and used as its theme tune. The current theme tune is a significantly reworked electronic version of the song. "Jessica" was also featured in a series of commercials in 2004 for the supermarket chain Publix, usually featuring scenes of happy family picnics. In 2005, the song "Melissa" was used in the soundtrack of the film Brokeback Mountain.
 

rock